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Janet’s in Control While Jesus Takes the Wheel
Why do we have to be in control?
A great philosopher once said “I’ve got my own mind, I want to make my own decisions. When it has to do with my life, I’m gonna be the one who’s in control!” Okay, calling Janet Jackson a great philosopher is more than a little messed up, but she shares the same mindset as a good portion of the American people. We have the ability to make our own decisions, so therefore we should be the one in control. We’re constantly saying “Jesus take the wheel” but it’s like we’re the passenger in one of those driver’s education cars that has a steering wheel and brake pedal on the passenger side. We immediately grab the wheel and start turning the other way when we are taken in a direction we don’t want to go.
Why do we feel the need to be in control? Is it the fear of the unknown? Do we really think we know what’s best? We can’t make time go any faster and forcing the hand of others (including God) to do what we want just isn’t going to happen. More often than not, when I try to take control one of two things happens – I either stress myself out over the situation because I can’t actually control anything or things fall apart due to my feeble attempt to do things my way.
The Bible has some great advice regarding control.
1) God is the one who is in control, not us.
Jeremiah 29:11 states –
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
2) Worrying over something of which you have no control doesn’t benefit anyone.
Matthew 6:25-34 tells us –
Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
I know it’s much easier said then done, but sometimes we just have to learn to let go. We’re not in charge and pretending we are is only going to get us no where fast.
Enjoy Janet Jackson’s “Control” video below and ask yourself, “How can I relinquish control of my life today?”
Photo Credit: By Emilian Robert Vicol
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Prayer and Bruce Almighty
Why do you pray?
The subject of prayer has been on my mind today. We don’t truly understand the concept of prayer in today’s society. How can talking with someone we don’t see be of benefit to us? One of the biggest misconceptions about prayer is that we do it for God’s benefit. If I pray “Lord, I need a job. Please provide me with a job as soon as possible. Amen.” God’s reaction isn’t going to be “Wait…you need a job? I had no clue – thank you for letting Me know this!” Prayer isn’t for God’s benefit, it’s really for our benefit. One of my favorite quotes about prayer is by C.S. Lewis – “I don’t pray to change God’s mind. I pray for God to change my mind!”
Through prayer, we realize how much we really need to depend on God. Praying makes us aware of our limitations and reminds us of God’s greatness. Prayer does not obligate God to give us what we want – He is not a supernatural vending machine dispensing our desires at the push of a button. When you are in a relationship with someone you spend time communicating with that individual, otherwise the relationship will suffer. Prayer is about communicating with our Creator and developing our relationship with Him. Sometimes even the church struggles with the concept of prayer (Andy Stanley did a great sermon on this very topic – Big Church (Part 2): Big Prayers (NOTE – The video will automatically start on Part 1, so you will need to select Part 2 for this particular sermon)).
A great illustration of our misconception regarding prayer can be found in the 2003 Jim Carrey movie Bruce Almighty. It’s the tale of Bruce Nolan (Jim Carrey), a down on his luck news reporter who gets frustrated with God. Bruce accuses God of being cruel and not doing His job, so God (Morgan Freeman) gives Bruce His powers for one week to show him that he can’t do it any better. In one particular scene Bruce tries to figure out how to answer the prayers of the world (see the video below) and decides to create a computerized system. He realizes that the more prayers he answers, the more prayers come in. Frustrated, he decides to answer “yes” to all prayers. The results of Bruce’s action cause extreme chaos in the world (you’ll have to watch the movie to see what happens).
What do you think is the biggest misconception people have about prayer?
Photo Credit: By Leland Francisco
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Discipline Equals Love
The dreaded “time out” chair!
Yesterday I was able to spend some time with my younger brother and his kids. He has three kids that are under the age of seven, so things can get very interesting at times. One thing I noticed was if my brother told one of them to do something (or not to do something), depending on their mood, the response often would be something negative like “No!” or “I don’t want to do that!” At times they may even think their father is mean because he won’t let them do whatever they want. What they don’t understand is my brother has a reason behind why he is telling them these things – he loves them and is looking out for their best interest.
As believers we often find ourselves questioning why God wants us to do something or why he hasn’t allowed something to happen for us. We get mad at Him, stomp our foot, and say “No God, I don’t want to do that!” or “Why did this person get to do that and I don’t?!” Sometimes we go to the extreme of being so mad at God that we try to run from Him. Quite frequently God will just let us have our temper tantrum and then look at us and say “Are you finished yet? I know what I’m doing.” Other times God will just let us have what we think we want at that time and when we realize we were wrong He asks “When will you learn? I know what’s best for you!”
Now days it’s the norm to see parents out in public telling their kids “I’m going to count to three and if you don’t do (or stop doing) <insert whatever random act here>, then you are going to be in trouble!” A couple of weeks ago, our pastor started a series called Age of Kings. One of the main points he mentioned in the first week was “God doesn’t count to three.” He doesn’t say to us “If you don’t do this (or stop doing this) I’m going to count to three and there will be consequences!” He just lets us do our thing and suffer the results. He doesn’t do this to be cruel, on the contrary as Proverbs 3:11-12 tells us
My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline, and do not resent his rebuke, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.
Discipline is what helps us grow and what teaches us right from wrong. Dictionary.com has three different definitions for discipline:
- To train by instruction and exercise
- To bring a state of order and obedience by training and control
- To punish or penalize in order to train and control; correct or chastise
Which of these three definitions do you think of when you view how God disciplines you as His child?
Photo Credit: By Stephen Nakatani
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Just The Facts – Londrina, Brazil Edition
Map showing Londrina, Brazil
It’s hard to believe that the countdown for my Brazil Mission trip has officially begun. In 73 days I will be leaving for Londrina, Brazil – it sounds like it’s far off, but it’s really only about 11 weeks away (about two and a half months). Most people have heard of Brazilian cities like Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, but most people are not familiar with the city of Londrina. Here are a few facts about what has come to be one of my favorite places in the world.
- According to the 2010 Census, the city has a population of 506,645
- The city’s nickname is Pequena Londres which translates into “Little London”
- Londrina is in the northern region of the state of Paraná and is 369 km from the capital of Curitiba
- The native language of Brazil is Portuguese, but English and Spanish are taught in the high schools and colleges
- Roman Catholic is the main religion, but primarily in name alone as most people do not attend church or are not “practicing” Catholics.
- Futbol (American Soccer) is the major sport in Brazil.
- The city can be found at the coordinates 23°18′36″S 51°09′46″W
- There are several colleges and universities in the city of Londrina including Universidade Estadual de Londrina and Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná
- The average temperature in Brazil is 21.5 °C (71 °F) with the warmest average temperature being 30 °C (86 °F) in September and the coolest average temperature being 11 °C (52 °F) in June or July.
- Major Brazilian exports include aircraft, textiles, footwear, iron ore, coffee, orange juice, soybeans, and corned beef
- Popular Brazilian music styles include samba, MPB, choro, Sertanejo, brega, forró, frevo, maracatu, bossa nova, and axé but they also love American music
- The Brazilian currency is called the real (pronounced /reI’AːL/) and the plural is reais. They also use what is called centavos. As of today, the current exchange rate is 2.05546 Brazilian Real to 1 US Dollar.
Learn how you can contribute to my mission trip.
Photo Credit: By http://www.mapsofworld.com
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Help Me Raise Support For My Brazil Mission Trip
Londrina, Brazil
Nine years ago I had the privilege of being a part of something big in Londrina, Brazil. The church I attend (Buckhead Church – a campus of North Point Ministries) established a partnership with a church in Londrina, Capela da Graça (or “Grace Chapel” in English). We have worked with them to develop ways they can reach those in their community that other local churches have not. Over the past nine years I have been blessed with the opportunity to go on two additional trips to Londrina.
Recently I have been approached about going on another trip to Londrina to help Grace Chapel establish a Singles Ministry in their church. In Brazil, it is typical for an individual to go straight from college directly into marriage, but there has been a recent “changing of the tide” (much like that in North America) where people are waiting longer to get married. These young adults have no ministries geared specifically towards them as most Brazilian churches put them in with their youth group. When 20-somethings, 30-somethings, and older are put in this type of environment they are not challenged spiritually or personally, so they just leave the church.
I will be going with a small team (we are still finalizing the team, but between 5-8 single adults) to Londrina August 31-September 10, 2012. Each team member is asked to raise $3000 in support to cover his or her portion of the trip. There are three ways you can help support me and the team:
1) You can give online –
- Go to: https://ssl.northpoint.org/ssl/globalx/
- Fill in your contact information
- Under GlobalX Trip Information select Brazil in the “country” drop down
- Select Brazil Singles Event in the “trip” drop down
- Type Scott Couey in the individual field
- Fill in your credit card information (online giving accepts Visa, MasterCard, or AmEx)
- Click “Review Donation Information” and finalize your transaction
- A confirmation e-mail will be sent to you and will serve as your receipt to use for tax purposes (as donations are tax deductible)
2) You can donate via check. If you are interested in donating via this method send me a private message on Facebook or e-mail me at scottcouey<AT>yahoo.com (just replace the <AT> with @) and I will give you directions.
3) Most importantly, you can pray for our team. I will be updating my personal blog (https://scottcouey.com/) with details as we prepare for the trip and while we are on the trip.
Any and all donations will be greatly appreciated. Even if you do not feel like you can give much, every little bit helps. We have been asked to have at least 50% of our financial support in by July 6 and 100% by August 17.
If you are not able to give financially, I understand completely and know that the main thing you can do to support me and my team is pray for us.
If you have any questions or would like more information about our trip, please don’t hesitate to ask. Thank you in advance for your prayers and financial support!
In Christ,
Scott
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Tender Warrior – A Contradiction In Culture
WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group sent me a complimentary copy of this book for my review.
How can a true warrior be tender?
When you hear the words “tender” and “warrior” together, it paints an interesting picture. How can a warrior truly be a warrior and be tender? Stu Weber’s 1993 (published again in 1999) book Tender Warrior seeks to inform the reader what it means to be a real man. In a society where it is the norm for children to not know their father, Weber is one who challenges the male population to stand up and be men. Using stories straight from scripture (including David, Jonathan, Caleb, Joshua, and Jesus), the reader is shown that being a true man is not defined by society. The ultimate “measuring stick” of a man should be Jesus, and not the picture the world has painted of Him – the true version that comes straight from the scriptures in the Bible.
The book contains sixteen chapters dealing with topics including the relationship between a husband and his wife, the relationship between a man and his children, being a leader, the tender side of being a man, a man and his friends, and a man’s relationship with his Savior. It is an easy read and even has questions after each chapter that would be suitable for a men’s small group study to use while reading the book.
Here are a few takeaways I got from Tender Warrior:
- Being a male doesn’t necessarily make you a man.
- Real men conquer for a cause.
- Masculinity was made for connection.
- Real men should be pro-visionaries. They plan ahead to set the standard.
- A true man is called to be a king, warrior, mentor, and friend just like Jesus.
There were only three things I didn’t really like about the book: 1) The majority of the book was written for married men (especially men with children), but there was something in it for men of all stages in life. 2) Numerous times Weber’s illustrations seemed dated (he constantly used an illustration about a western television show he used to watch in the 1960s). 3) At times the author seemed to ramble a little. Some of the chapters could have easily been combined if he had cut back on some of the illustrations and just gotten straight to the point.
As a whole, I would highly recommend this book to any male who would like to make sure he is on the path to being a real man. For those who are interested, you can read the first chapter of Tender Warrior online.
Photo Credit: By http://www.scribd.com
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Scott Couey 